


Steamboat Chaleigh

by Airwing



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Canonical Character Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-12
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-02-04 10:48:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1776379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airwing/pseuds/Airwing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate universe where steam power is the primary resource, only four jaegers remain, tasked with ending the war once and for all using a new weapon never seen before. What complicates matters more is that two of the star pilots can't stand each other and have no choice but to either set aside their differences and save the world, or watch the world burn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steamboat Chaleigh

**Author's Note:**

> _Author's Notes: This is the third rendition of my Mini-Bang for Pacific Rim. It started out as a crossover, then it went to a post-apocalyptic AU, and now it has gone to a steampunk AU. The reason for that was mostly because I am hoping whatever artist chooses my story feels compelled to either draw a steampunk jaeger or steampunk Raleigh or Chuck. Because it would be cute methinks. What happened to the other two? Well the crossover turned into the post-apocalyptic AU and that will appear as a separate story unrelated to the Mini-Bang. The title of this story is a shout-out to the old-school Mickey Mouse cartoons and his nemesis, Steamboat Willie. I have to give an insane amount of thanks and credit to Hannah, my artist who did an AMAZING job on the artwork._
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> **Beta: SublimeDiscordance**
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> **Artwork: haverkampink**

[](http://monkeyzero.net/misc/steampunkchaleigh.jpg)  


**August 1825: Hong Kong, China**

Raleigh Becket sighed heavily, staring out of the port hole next to the bench of the airship he was riding. He had no idea what in the world made him agree to this mission. Maybe it was because working on the Wall was not particularly gratifying, maybe it was because he missed jockeying a jaeger, or maybe he just needed some sort of change and this was the only opportunity to arise. Whatever the reason, by the end of the day he had said 'yes' and was packing his bags, boarding an airship to what would someday become one of the most bustling countries in Asia. 

Raleigh hated airships. He never felt safe on them. The concept of something that heavy floating in the air just seemed wrong and like an accident waiting to happen. Apparently in his mind kaiju and jaegers were far more realistic and less 'sci-fi' than a canvas bag filled with hot air drifting across the world on a steam-powered engine. 

"We'll be landing soon, Mr. Becket," a deep voice announced. Raleigh turned his attention away from the window to look at Stacker Pentecost, the Marshall of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. His suit was black with gold trim and several metal buckles, each one denoting some type of rank or achievement, such as number of kaiju killed during his tour of duty. 

"Good. I'm tired of this balloon," the blond man replied. After a long pause, he asked the question that had been on his mind since they had left Alaska. "So why now? What's so special about right this moment? Do you have some sort of hidden intel on the Breach?"

Pentecost chuckled lightly. "Because, Mr. Becket, we have four jaegers left, and our plan requires all of them. It also requires the best pilots in the world, and seeing as how you are one of them, you get to play a part in this mission. As for why now? In a nutshell, Mr. Becket, the Breach is becoming unstable as it grows larger to accommodate the growing size of the kaiju. Thanks to the Russians, we have access to a new technology that may very well not only save humanity from the kaiju, but may someday become a new source of power. Something to take us into a new age. And right now, while the throat is unstable, is the best time to jam some of that power right down in there and blow it to high heaven."

"At least you're enthusiastic," Raleigh said only half-sarcastically. "What is this so-called new power source anyway?"

"They call it nuclear. Don't ask me to explain the details because quite honestly, that's what the scientists are for. What I need to know is that this nuclear power is incredibly explosive and dangerous. It is said to be able to level an entire city with one bomb. That kind of energy could force the Breach to collapse, ending the kaiju invasion."

The younger man raised an eyebrow, looking at the Marshall skeptically. "So let me guess, you want the jaegers to escort this bomb to the bottom of the ocean?"

Stacker nodded and then turned toward the door. "That's exactly right, Mr. Becket. Now if you'll excuse me, we'll be landing momentarily, and I don't do particularly well on the descent."

Raleigh snickered. "You don't trust these things either, do you Marshall?" he asked.

"Not one bit," the older man replied, stepping through the doorway, the wooden plank shutting closed behind him. Raleigh returned his gaze to the port hole, watching the ground coming up closer, holding his breath in hopes they wouldn't crash.

xxxxx

As soon as the airship landed, Raleigh was rushed from the landing pad into the Shatterdome, various areas being pointed out as they moved nonstop. Along the way he met Mako Mori, the young woman who would be piloting Raleigh's former jaeger, Gipsy Danger, alongside Stacker Pentecost. He passed by three identical Chinese men chattering in their native language as they climbed across the copper-colored foot of their jaeger, apparently making repairs of some kind. He almost tripped over his own feet as he stared at the massive machine. It had three arms, the hands of which were a dark gray material, multi-layered silver blades on the forearms. The head was small and boxy, a giant yellow-tinted porthole at the end of the rectangular ‘snout’, the harnesses for the pilots barely visible behind the glass. A multitude of tubes and cables were connected to various parts of the mech, the smell of hot oil permeating throughout the room.

The next pilots he saw were Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky, the Russian couple responsible for bringing the scientists in Russia into contact with the rest of the PPDC. They were both tall and severe looking, giving only curt nods of acknowledgement when they were introduced. Their jaeger, Cherno Alpha, was just arriving, being pulled into the coliseum on a giant wheeled platform. Cherno Alpha was a deep antique gold color, almost olive in shade, and it was scratched in many places, even rusted in a couple from half a decade of service. Stacker mentioned the monolithic jaeger kept the Russian coast safe for six years and was the oldest jaeger still running, hence the discolored metal and damaged-looking armor. It looked ancient compared to the Chinese machine Crimson Typhoon, which looked almost brand new. 

Raleigh, Pentecost, and Mako all stopped in LOCCENT, the central control room for the jaeger dispatch. It had a large glass window that overlooked the entire coliseum of the jaeger storage and launch bay, three of the machines standing at attention on opposite sides of the area, surrounded by catwalks and cables. The fourth slot was waiting, empty, as Cherno was being pulled into position. Control panels lined LOCCENT, the assortment of switches, levers, buttons, and radio equipment an overwhelming sight, even to a veteran. 

"Who's that?" Raleigh asked, pointing down into the bay. Standing at the foot of the Australian jaeger, Striker Eureka, were two red haired men, one in a drivesuit and the other with his arm in a sling. They were having a heated conversation but he was unable to tell what about. The one in the armor was pointing at the gargantuan silver machine, barking some nonsense at the older man, who seemed rather calm considering someone was yelling at him. 

The Marshall smirked. "Them? The older one with the injured arm, that's Hercules Hansen. He's second in command of this operation and former pilot of Striker Eureka, before his injury there. The kid with him, that's his son, Chuck. Smartest and most skilled ranger in the fleet, and quick to tell you just as much. An egotistical bloke, that one."

"Sounds like a joy to work with," Raleigh said sarcastically, annoyed at the very idea of someone with no sense of modesty. "Please tell me I'm not-"

Pentecost hid his amusement as he interrupted his subordinate. "Yes, yes you are. You're going to be co-piloting Striker Eureka alongside Chuck Hansen. And you're going to love every minute of it, ranger. You can meet him later. RIght now, Miss Mori, show him to his quarters please."

The Asian woman gave a short bow and began to leave the room, expecting to be followed by her charge, but Raleigh remained at the window, looking at Chuck Hansen. When she realized Raleigh wasn’t coming, she turned her head to see what was keeping his attention.

"He's a handsome man, Mr. Becket, but he is very abrasive," Mako said, joining him at the window, tracing Raleigh's gaze toward the Australian pilot, who was now kneeling down, playing with the bulldog that looked like it had jumped directly off of the Striker logo painted on the chestplate of the jaeger itself.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, I uh..." Raleigh stammered, not realizing he had even been paying that close of attention to the other pilot. "I just uh..."

Mako smiled knowingly. "I am not blind, Mr. Becket. I can see you are already taken with him. It's in your eyes, sir. As I said, he is a handsome man, but very abrasive. It will be difficult enough to drift with him as it is. I would not recommend letting your thoughts become too apparent or it may cause problems."

Raleigh laughed. "Miss Mori, I know all about difficulties with drifting and hiding things, keeping emotions in check. There's nothing like finding out your own brother slept with a girl you liked when you're in the heat of battle. Trust me, I can conceal my thoughts just fine if I have to, and as for Chuck out there? He’ll just have to learn to dial down his attitude for the mission.”

“You’re very confident, Mr. Becket. You’ll need that assertiveness,” Mako said, hiding a smile. “Now I need to show you to your room.”

Finally taking his eyes off of the young Australian, Raleigh followed Mako out of LOCCENT. Despite her warning, he still felt a sudden attraction to the man. It had been a long time since he felt any sort of interest in someone—his brother’s death wilted any desire to get close to someone again—but the outline of Chuck’s body in his drive suit gave him a flutter in his loins. He was anxious to meet him now despite the negative opinions people were already placing in his head, but hoped he could manage to keep the thoughts out of his head when the time came to drift. 

xxxxx

Raleigh’s room turned out to directly across from Mako’s and next to Chuck’s. Every ranger was given their own quarters but each pair would share a full bathroom. To Raleigh’s relief and dismay, his was adjoined to an empty dorm, meaning Chuck’s must be shared with his father. So much for being able to sneak a peek at his soon-to-be co-pilot. 

Where the hell are all these thoughts coming from? I hardly even got a good look at him and I’m already acting like a teenager in heat! he berated himself. I have more important things to worry about than some hot-shot. Yeah, a hot-shot who just so happens to be… hot. 

Irritated, he tossed his bag on the bed, unzipped it, and took out a fresh shirt, pants, and underwear. Being stuck in the hot confines of the steam-powered airship had left him sweaty and feeling less than fresh. The last thing he wanted to do was make a poor first impression on someone he found attractive, or anyone else for that matter. 

Raleigh quickly showered, the stress of the day washing down the drain, at least for the time being. After drying off, he pulled on the stretchy material of his underwear and then the slightly baggy dark tan pants before feeling the coolness of a fresh pair of socks. He squeezed his feet into dark brown boots that came halfway up his shin, clasping several buckles as he went. He put on a white long-sleeve shirt that he neatly buttoned up, followed by a light brown vest. He finished his ensemble with a pale blue necktie that he tucked into the vest. It was casual enough to be comfortable but not so casual that he looked like a slob. Before tucking his timepiece into the vest pocket, he observed the tiny hands. It was time to meet up with Mako in the mess hall for some dinner. And hopefully an introduction to the apparently abrasive Chuck Hansen.

Raleigh stepped out of his room, pulling the door shut behind him. He began walking down the hall and when he turned the corner, ran smack into the broad figure of Chuck. 

"Oi! Watch where you're goin' mate!" the Australian admonished. He gave Raleigh a once-over then realized who he was. "Wait, you're the old man comin’ out of retirement! I hope you jockey better than you walk."

"Yeah, sorry about that," the blond apologized. "You're Chuck Hansen, right?"

"Yeah, that's me alright," he answered confidently, his inflated ego already showing itself. "Is it true you haven't jockeyed in five years?"

Raleigh nodded. "Yeah, five years. After my brother--"

Chuck interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah. I know the story. You better not bring any of that into the drift. We don't need that kind of distraction now do we?"

"No, I guess we don't. I'll be fine. We'll be fine."

"Whatever. Pleasure meeting you, Ray," the redhead chided, walking off.

Wow. Abrasive doesn't even begin to describe him. He's just a straight up asshole! Raleigh thought, shaking his head. For every bit of hotness, he has just as much love for himself. No wonder nobody likes him. He sauntered down the hall, arriving at the large canteen crowded with people. After fetching his tray, his eyes roved over the room seeking Mako, or any familiar face. He spotted the Kaidanovskys but neither of them seemed to be the conversational type and the Asian triplets looked far too involved in whatever card game they were playing to be bothered by a newcomer. 

"Becket!" called out an unfamiliar voice with an Australian accent. It was too friendly to be Chuck so it had to be his father. "Over here!"

Raleigh looked in the direction of the voice and saw a redheaded man waving, sitting at a table. The man had one arm in a sling. Hercules Hansen, Chuck's father, he remembered. The blond nodded and made his way over, sitting down next to the older man. Mako was seated across from them, nodding a greeting.

"Herc Hansen, mate. Heard a lot about you from Stacker. Also heard you get to have the distinct 'pleasure' of co-piloting with my son."

"Yes sir, so I was told. I met him briefly earlier. He's... quite a guy," Raleigh replied, hiding his grimace with a forkful of slop.

Herc laughed. "Go ahead and say it, mate. He's a right good handful he is. Mostly my fault I guess. I raised him on me own and probably didn't show him enough affection or something. That's what Miss Mori suggested anyway." It was already apparent that while physically there was enough resemblance to see the Hansen men’s relation, but as far as personality they were polar opposites. 

Mako blushed. "I meant no disrespect Mr. Hansen," she assured him. 

Again, Herc laughed. "None taken, Miss Mori. I couldn't have said it better myself really." He turned his attention back to Raleigh. "I just gotta tell ya, he's a handful. Y’better be ready to handle that ego in the drift. It ain’t easy."

"Don't worry about me, sir. After what I've been through, I think I can manage whatever he's got in there."

Herc smiled, silently hoping the younger ranger wasn't overestimating his abilities. 

"Oi! Old man, hanging with the newbie I see," Chuck said, appearing behind them, the bulldog at his side. "Givin' him a few tips are ya?"

Raleigh wasted no time, turning on the Aussie. "Show some respect. That's your father and your superior officer," he hissed coldly. 

Chuck seemed taken aback by the comment, locking his gaze with Raleigh's. The older ranger could already tell he had hit a nerve and Chuck’s mind was racing for a scathing comeback.

"Look here Ray," Chuck began but was interrupted.

"It's Raleigh."

"Whatever, Rahleigh. You don't know jack about me or my old man so don't you worry about what we say to each other, you got that?" the redhead finished. By now his face was within inches of the other ranger's.

Raleigh smirked. "Sure thing, Chahrlie." He smiled as Chuck grunted angrily and stormed off in a huff.

"Wow, Mr Becket, nobody ever acts that way with him. He usually just barks his bit, people shrug it off, but I think you might've nearly killed him with shock there," Herc praised. "Might do the boy some good to have someone give him a little challenge. Good luck."

“Guys like him, Mr. Hansen, just need someone to stand up to them and not take their bullshit. Before you know it, we’ll be best friends,” the blond said jokingly. “Or at least, he might be less likely to mouth off when I’m around.”

xxxxx

Chuck marched furiously down the hall toward his room. His face was beet red, his entire body sweating from rage. He had wanted to punch the cocky newcomer but the tiny bit of restraint he had was able to keep him from doing so. 

How dare that fucking prick talk to me that way! He doesn’t know shit about me. He wouldn’t be able to handle knowing shit about me. Bastard. Chuck thought, entering his room and slamming the door shut behind him. He pulled off his hat and hurled it across the bunk, followed by his jacket, the buckles jingling as they hit the floor. 

To think that self-righteous brat is going to get to play a part in this mission, that he’ll be famous for this nuclear bomb delivery too… We don’t need him. I don’t need him. I’d rather pilot Striker alone than with him.

An hour later, Pentecost was shutting that thought right out of Chuck’s head. 

“Ranger, you will maintain your composure,” Stacker said sternly, staring the man in the eyes. “Everyone knows a jaeger cannot be piloted alone. The machinery takes the brain power of two, and Becket is your co-pilot.”

Chuck wanted to argue, but again that tiny bit of restraint held him back. Almost. 

“Sir! I can’t drift with him. It won’t work. If I can’t pilot Striker Eureka on my own then we need another pilot,” the Australian pleaded.

Pentecost smirked. “Fine. You want another pilot? I’m sure we can find someone willing to drift with Becket and you can sit on the sidelines, polishing the steam vents.” Chuck obviously had not expected that, and the look on his face showed it.

“But that’s not what I meant! I meant someone else for me!”

“I’d wager it easier to find another compatible co-pilot for Becket in a short period of time than for you,” the Marshall said evenly. “Now you have two choices, ranger. Either suck it up, follow orders, and drift with him and save the world, or shut up, sit back, and let someone else take your place. The choice is yours.”

Chuck was so angry he wanted to cry out of frustration. Pentecost had him backed into a corner. If he gave up his slot, he was giving up his chance at saving the world, and at the fame that came with it. Fame wasn’t the driving factor of course, but if anyone was going to get recognition for collapsing the breach with the new nuclear technology and go down in history books, it was going to be Chuck Hansen and not some nameless ranger wanna-be. 

“Fine. I’ll make it work,” the Australian said flatly. He didn’t wait to be dismissed but instead turned and left. He didn’t see the triumphant smile on the Marshall face.

xxxxx

Raleigh turned the corner heading back to his room but hung back, spotting Chuck entering his own room. The man looked defeated, as if someone had kicked his beloved bulldog and called him a pansy for caring. He waited until the other ranger had entered and shut the door before going on to his own.

He almost made it when he noticed the dog, Max, running past him and whimpering at the door. It opened just enough for the bulldog to enter, and just enough for Raleigh to spy the bitter eyes of his co-pilot. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Raleigh paused and turned toward the now closed door. He knocked loudly, waiting for the ‘fuck you’ he knew was coming.

Chuck didn’t disappoint, either. “Fuck off Becket, I know it’s you!” he barked.

“Can we talk, man to man for a minute? You know, without the hostility?” the blond asked confidently. Much more confidently than he felt. Inside, he was trembling. Why am I so nervous over a cocky asshole like him? Maybe because he’s so handsome and I want him to stop being a cocky asshole and be a likable guy instead.

There was silence for a moment and then the door opened a crack, Chuck inviting him in. “What do you want, Becket? Make it quick.”

Raleigh took a deep breath. “Look, we got off on the wrong foot, okay? We need to make peace before we drift tomorrow or else it’ll all fall to pieces.”

Chuck glared at him. As his eyes bore into Raleigh’s, he couldn’t help but take in the alluring sight of the slightly older man. His dark blond hair parted to the side, the very little bit of stubble on his face. Staring at him, Chuck felt it hard to dig up the hatred he had for him earlier. There was something about the way Raleigh looked at him that disarmed him, and the blond was taking notice of it.

“You know I’m right. I don’t wanna be your enemy. We don’t have to be friends, but we gotta get along enough to make this drift happen. Once it’s all over, you can hate me all you want to. We can hate each other. Just, not yet, alright?”

“Fine,” the redhead replied simply. The older man continued to stare at him as if expecting Chuck to elaborate, and that wasn’t even enough to irritate him into confrontation. “Fine,” he repeated.

Raleigh wasn’t exactly sure what to say next. Chuck obviously wasn’t going to have much of a conversation but at least he agreed to call a truce. That in itself seemed like progress. “Well, I just wanted to try and make peace before tomorrow. I guess I’ll be going.”

Uncharacteristically, Chuck reached for Raleigh’s hand to stop him from leaving. “Wait,” he said in a tone much softer than usual. “You’re not going to try and psychoanalyze me, like everyone else? Like my old man? The Marshall? Mori?”

Raleigh shook his head. “No. I’m no shrink, and like you said. I really don’t know anything about you, so how can I even try to figure you out? How do I even know it’s worth bothering? If we’re going to go back to hating each other once this is over, why worry about it?”

Chuck didn’t let go of the man’s hand but kept talking. “I never said I hated you, Becket.”

“You sure act like it.” Raleigh realized that maybe Chuck was going to try and have an actual conversation and despite what he had just said, he thought that maybe he should stick around, if anything because he had nothing else to do and he was going to have to drift with him in less than twenty-four hours so it might be a good idea to hear him out.

“I don’t,” Chuck said. “I don’t much like you, really. But I don’t hate you. I don’t wanna waste time hating people.”

Raleigh cocked his head. “You are definitely a strange guy, Chuck Hansen.”

Chuck furrowed his brow. “What’s that supposed to mean, mate?”

“If you don’t want to waste time hating people, then why do you try and make everyone else hate you?”

“I don’t!”

“Yes you do. Maybe not consciously, but you do. You’re hostile and rude, cocky and arrogant. That chases people away. Those aren’t things you want to be if you want friends,” Raleigh explained. Noticing Chuck’s slight confusion, he went on. “Everyone wants to be liked Chuck, whether they admit it or not. Would you rather people look at you and say ‘There goes Chuck Hansen, the guy who saved the world but damn he is such an asshole!’ or do you want them to say ‘There goes Chuck Hansen, the guy who saved the world and you know, he’s a pretty swell guy on top of that,’? Think about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With that, Raleigh quickly departed, feeling his bravery and confidence beginning to wane. He had done what he had subconsciously come to do and now that his mission was accomplished, he was running out of steam. Better to leave the man behind with food for thought rather than just leaving him to go on to sleep.

Raleigh didn’t hear Chuck behind the closed door as the younger man played with his dog a moment. “Maybe that ass has a point, huh Max? You think I should listen to him?” Max gave a quick bark and licked his owner’s face, a sure sign of agreement. 

xxxxx

It had been five years since Raleigh had last set foot in a jaeger launch bay and this particular one was known to be the largest in the world. Big enough to hold a fleet of airships at least, it was a dome-shaped coliseum, that housed currently four jaegers. 

“Gentlemen, this will be your drift run. The point here is to expose you to one another for a first drift in order to align you for your jaeger field deployment,” Pentecost explained to Raleigh and Chuck, who were both suited up in their drivesuits. 

Drivesuits were terribly uncomfortable. Made entirely of metal sheets, it was like wearing a suit of armor from the middle ages. They were at least fifty pounds and pilots were expected to not only withstand the weight, but to move and fight in them. Raleigh had the good fortune to have a newer suit, made of lighter metals, whereas Chuck’s was older, the well worn joints the only advantage he had over a newer, stiffer model. 

After a salute, Raleigh and Chuck filed down the catwalk leading to a tall staircase that emptied into the head of Striker Eureka. Had either man been afraid of heights, the view from the catwalk would surely have given him a heart attack. 

Pentecost watched them intently from the LOCCENT, anxious over whether or not these two men, who were for all purposes strangers and not even strangers who got along, would be able to drift. They were force-drifting in essence, and he only hoped it worked. It had never been attempted before, but these were dire times with few options.

Normally when a jaeger was being boarded, crews of technicians were busy sealing outer bulkhead openings, disconnecting gigantic tubes, and clearing away all equipment. On this particular day, since the jaeger would not actually be deployed, none of these tasks were being done. Striker Eureka stood motionless, cables and pipes still connected to various parts. As soon as the pilots were secured in the conn pod, the techs departed, sealed the hatch, and cleared the way. 

Steam hissed as the core of the jaeger opened up, giving the machine power. The conn pod lit up, beeping and humming. The technology used for the jaegers was highly experimental, improving over the years but never released for public use. High density cabling and pipes carried steam power throughout the machines, giving them life necessary to move. Computers with base functions had been modified so many times, nobody could truly tell what was what. All they knew was it worked. The steam core worked, providing never-ending fuel by utilizing unheard of methods of recycling the steam power over and over. It was dangerous as hell, most jaeger pilots perishing if a kaiju pierced the core in battle, causing a massive explosion. The only positive outcome was that it killed the kaiju, but at the cost of the pilots’ lives and the jaeger. It was a risk pilots had to take.

Pentecost used the horn to signal the test was to begin. Wireless communication had yet to be refined well enough to transmit through the various metal shields that made up the jaeger heads, nor did they have the range necessary to go from LOCCENT to jaeger so they relied on a modified morse code using horns and sirens. 

“It’s time. Everyone sit and watch,” the Marshall said, forcing himself to remain stoic despite his apprehension. Beside him, Herc Hansen and Mako Mori watched on. The Russians and the Chinese watched on from another catwalk, hoping the test would be a success. They were ready to get the mission under way and it all depended on these two hotheads getting along in their minds.

“Right hemisphere aligning,” Raleigh said, wrinkling his nose. No matter how many times he had stepped inside of a jaeger he couldn’t get used to the stench of oil and grease. It was overwhelming. Still, he managed to focus. The helmet-like device attached to his head began to hum to life. He reached up and flipped down the goggles that would help protect his eyes from the intense heat that was already rising. 

Chuck was on the left side, doing the same. “Left hemisphere aligning,” he said. It had taken him close to a year to truly feel comfortable with drifting with his own father, exposing his mind to the man he had come to resent over his childhood and growing into adulthood. He was exposed to every secret Chuck had, every emotion, every feeling. Their first drift had been an overly intense experience that left them estranged for several days before they could even manage to speak to each other. Even then it wasn’t the most productive chat. He expected this was going to be even worse, letting his mind open to someone he didn’t even really know, nor like, and he already had feelings and emotions he didn’t want to share regarding his co-pilot and he would have to focus even more intently to hide those thoughts.

The drift was something unexplainable. The original scientist who discovered it found it by accident. Even he couldn’t recreate the experience at first. He and his wife had been trying to connect their minds using highly experimental and dangerous electrical shocks to the brain. When it overloaded, instead of killing them, it did something else entirely. Wires crossed, cables pulsed and the metal box the leads were connected to seemed to fill with something. 

That something was otherworldly, something that was finally just accepted as existing with no explanation. The something was a liquid that had formed and when the leads of both persons were plugged into it, it allowed them to explore each other’s minds. Many more months of testing and trial and error and the professor connected the leads to a third outlet—a metal arm operated with cables fueled with steam power. The leads allowed the two scientists to give direction to the arm, the object mimicking their movements—their simultaneous, synced movements—giving the object life. From there it was merely time before it had been formed into something that could control massive metal machines that came to be known as jaegers. 

Raleigh could feel the tendrils of the drift digging around in his head, reaching for the synapses in his brain, searching for a way to take hold and connect from his mind to the drift and from the drift to Chuck and back. Suddenly they took hold and he was yanked into the void and spit right back out into Chuck's head. He saw things there that made him suddenly understand why his copilot acted the way he did.

He saw a very young boy, clinging to his father, yet screaming for his mother. He was beating against the man's chest, sobbing. The man was remaining stoic, but fighting hard to remain so as people all around them were chattering about monsters and destruction and then sirens went off and then the sound of metal being wrenched up from the ground and collapsing in the distance filled his ears. The scene then quickly shifted forward to a funeral but the memory lasted less than a second before it shifted again, this time to an argument between a teenaged Chuck and his father. Chuck was swearing at him furiously and then stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard the glass in the frame shattered. Again a shift and Chuck was turning down a girl who was asking him out, trying to seduce the teen with a ridiculous amount of cleavage, but he barked a refusal when she wouldn't take no for an answer. He then saw what must have been in that same timeframe where several guys had teamed up against him and were fighting him, the girl from before standing back tittering. 

Raleigh's mind was then violently yanked away from Chuck's past and pressed into the present. He saw Chuck and his father arguing again in Herc's quarters. Chuck playing with Max behind the dome. He saw himself from Chuck's point of view as they argued first in the hall and then again in the canteen. He then saw the conversation they had the day before, and then he saw something that shocked him right out of Chuck's head. He saw his co-pilot, laying back on his bed, nude, rubbing himself. Raleigh saw blurred images of a blond man, then saw the burn scars on the man's chest—scars that came from an overload of heat-fueled power in a previous jaeger--come into focus, and before the man's face fully shifted into view, he was being pushed out of the memory at the same time as he was retreating from it. 

The mental link was disabled, the breaking connection causing both men to cry out in pain. 

"What the hell Chuck? It was working!" Raleigh demanded, acting irritated but secretly relieved that he didn’t have to see anymore of the very private moment he had spied on.

The Australian pulled off his helmet and yanked at the leads attached to his head. "No! It isn't working! I knew this was a bad idea from the start. This just proves it!" he yelled. He reached forward to press one of the switches that would sound off the horn to signal a disengage, but Raleigh shouted to him.

"Wait!" he demanded, causing Chuck to hesitate. "Wait. It's everything I saw, isn't it? That's why you're saying it isn't working. Because of what I saw, right?"

Again Chuck made to push the switch but again he paused. 

"I'm right. It's the memories and thoughts I saw in your head. You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

Chuck glared at the other man. "No!" he barked. Raleigh gave him a knowing look and locked eyes with him. "No. Yes. Maybe."

"You knew I would see all that, and you could see into my head, so why be embarrassed? It's part of being a team, Chuck. Trusting each other with secrets, memories, everything," Raleigh explained. "If you really wanted to hide--"

"I know how to hide shit you stupid sod! I tried! But for some reason it didn't work," the Aussie lamented. "You were never meant to see some of that."

Raleigh couldn't help but smirk. "You mean that last bit? The part that broke the connection? The part of you--"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Chuck roared. "That's none of your bloody business!" He reached forward to press the switch once more but Raleigh, tearing his arm out of the harness, grabbed his wrist. 

"Stop," he said firmly. "If you press that button, odds are we'll never talk about this again, and never get it sorted out. If we can't get everything out in the open, we'll never drift properly and we're fucked. You wanted to be the one who helped save the world, not fuck it up, right?"

Chuck said nothing, but surprisingly didn't yank his arm back either. Instead he relaxed a bit, sighing. "So then, what do you want me to say? That I like men? That I had a fucked up childhood?"

Raleigh let go of Chuck's wrist. "No. I want you to stop wasting your mental energy trying to hide things that are insignificant. We all have memories we're ashamed of. We all think things we don't want anyone to know."

"Then where were yours, Becket? Why did you bother hiding your memories? I couldn't see most of your mind it seems. Why can't I see your brother's death, huh? You want me to be honest with you, but you don't want to do the same? That's bullshit right there, it is," the redhead said dryly. 

"Put your leads and helmet back on," the blond instructed. "I'll show you."

Chuck did as Raleigh asked and they both readjusted themselves in their harnesses before initiating the drift again. This time Raleigh let down the block in his mind that hid away the things he didn't want Chuck to see. He let the man see all of his own losses, his own fractured history. Everything from his mom’s death, his father’s desertion, he and his brother Yancy’s enlistment, and finally the last mission the brothers had been on before Raleigh’s retirement. That memory was the most painful of all as Yancy had still been connected to his head, Raleigh able to sense every bit of fear and pain just before the connection snapped. More importantly than his past, however, he let the man see the thoughts Raleigh had about him. 

The drift ended as soon as Chuck had seen what Raleigh needed him to see. This time the connection cut off gently, causing neither man any pain. 

"See? Now we have nothing to hide from each other. It's all out there, so we can drift without a problem," Raleigh said, leaning forward and looking at his co-pilot. 

"Fine. Let's do this then. LOCCENT's probably wondering what the hell's going on in here anyway," Chuck agreed. “Knowin’ my old man he probably thinks we’ve come to blows."

The two men once again initiated the drift, this time properly aligning. After several minutes they were able to complete the mental tests they had been assigned to complete, a horn finally sounding to alert them that they had passed and would be disengaging shortly.

This time when they were in the drivesuit room, there was a slight bit of tension in the air. Normally after a session in a jaeger, a ranger would head right for the showers, and nobody was ever concerned about modesty. Not when you are inside each other's minds. Why worry about seeing each other nude when they had already traded thoughts—something much more intimate than any physical image. But this time, Chuck hesitated undressing. 

"We're not going to do this, are we? This awkwardness?" Raleigh inquired, pulling off his shirt. "We're co-pilots. Just because we're showering in the same room doesn't mean it has to be awkward."

"Yeah, I guess. Just kinda weird after you seeing what you saw," the Australian explained. "Don't want you thinking I'm looking all the time."

Smirking, Raleigh dropped his pants and underwear on the floor, standing completely naked before his co-pilot. "Look all you want, Chuck. It doesn't bother me. Remember what you saw too. Maybe I want you to see me. Maybe I want to see you. Maybe we just need to buck up and be adults and forget the awkwardness altogether."

Chuck let his eyes rove over Raleigh's body. The man was toned with flat abs that begged to be touched. Strange scars that had been permanently burned into his flesh ran up the left side of his torso, over his chest, and across his shoulder. He was smooth with only a very light layer of fine hairs on his legs and arms and the middle of his stomach leading down to a neatly trimmed crotch. Chuck’s eyes lingered there a moment longer before heading back up to Raleigh's face. Chuck looked away just before their eyes would meet. 

"There. Now, your turn," the blond said. Chuck looked slightly confused. "You got to look, now I get to look. Then it's all out of the way."

With a slight grin, Chuck went about removing his own clothing under the watchful eyes of his comrade. It was almost intimidating, having someone watch him so intently as he undressed, but he didn't want to disappoint Raleigh by furthering the awkward air in the room. If anything, he wanted to show Raleigh that he could be just as confident.

Chuck's body was completely different from Raleigh's. For one, he was broader, his muscled chest thicker than the leaner man and covered in a thin layer of dark red hair. The trail led down to a thick thatch of pubic hair, an impressively sized organ nestled within. Raleigh couldn't help but wonder exactly how much more impressive it must be when Chuck was aroused. 

"Alright then, now to shower I suppose," Chuck said, hurriedly going to the shower room before self-consciousness had time to set in. Raleigh watched the flexing muscles of Chuck's ass and back as he walked, willing himself not to physically react.

They showered quietly at opposite ends of the room before Raleigh broke the silence, deciding it best to simply strike up normal conversation to put his co-pilot at ease. 

"So Chuck, what do you do for fun when you aren't jockeying? You can't be glued to these jaegers all the time can you?"

Chuck snorted. "Actually I am. If I'm not working on Striker, I'm helping someone else with theirs. If I'm not doing that, I'm studying the latest in kaiju data, in the kwoon working out, or studying jaeger tech. The only leisure I really take is walking Max."

“We need to get you a hobby, outside of jaegers and PPDC,” Raleigh laughed. 

The Australian scowled, unsure if he was more offended by the fact that Raleigh didn’t seem to value his choice of recreation, or that he actually had no other means of entertainment. Just because he didn’t spend his spare time funning about with friends didn’t mean he was any less interesting.

Chuck finished up quickly, drying off as he walked to the drivesuit room to dress. He then hurried to his quarters, not waiting for Raleigh. He further avoided him at dinner, choosing to go out with Max for a long walk, taking with him a sandwich and a chicken leg, the latter for his beloved pet. 

Raleigh spied his co-pilot trudging along the pathway leading to a courtyard, the only real sign of nature left at the Shatterdome. He was tempted to go talk to him, but thought better of it. The man was obviously confused, bothered by their drift and Raleigh’s very forward means of getting past their awkward nudity in the changing room. Chuck needed some time alone to sort things out and perhaps spending time with his dog was the best thing for him. 

Chuck was often chided for his choice of dogwear, putting Max in an aviator’s jacket, complete with goggles that he wore on the top of his wrinkled forehead. It was reminiscent of Snoopy the Red Baron from the sketches in the newspapers, except instead of a beagle, the Baron was a bulldog. As childish as his father thought it was, Max was truly Chuck’s best and only friend and confidant, and that earned him a high rank with the ranger. To him, Max was like an equal. Right now, the bulldog was missing his outfit, instead only wearing his collar as was required by the PPDC pet regulations. 

“What do you think, boy? All of this is so fucked up. That drift, it was… I never felt so vulnerable,” Chuck said to his furry friend. “On top of that all these feelings about that stupid Becket. A right cocky ass he is, but… There’s something about him, don’t you think?”

Max paused and looked up at his owner as if in response. Chuck cracked a smile and leaned down, rubbing his head. “I bet you think I should go talk to him, huh? Maybe be friends or something?” Again as if answering the question, Max looked at him and then licked his hand enthusiastically. “Looks like a yes to me. Tonight you think?” The bulldog nudged his hand almost as if encouraging him. “All right, all right. Tonight then. After mess, when he’s back in his bunk and after we’ve finished your walk.”

Chuck gazed out at the horizon, the sunset leaving a soft golden glow out over the ocean. “Good thing you can’t tell anyone what I talk about. You’re the best buddy I could ask for boy,” he said, petting his dog again. “I better think about what I’m gonna say. Let’s walk some more, eh?”

For the next half an hour the pair trotted around the courtyard quietly, Max not interrupting even once as if he understood his owner needed to focus his thoughts. Only once did he pause and that was to use the bathroom before heading back inside the Dome. 

xxxxx

It was about an hour and a half after mess and Raleigh was just returning to his room after a rigorous sparring session with Mako. He wanted to train with Chuck but the man couldn’t be found, probably avoiding him on purpose. He settled instead for training with the Asian woman, who definitely gave him a run for his money. He was about to take off his clothes to hit the shower when there was a knock at the door, the loud clang of the knocker hitting the metal panel echoing in the small bunk.

Curious as to who could want to visit at nine in the evening, Raleigh peered through the tiny porthole that served as a peephole to see who was there. Chuck. He was wearing baggy pants usually reserved for workouts and a sleeveless shirt, looking as if he were almost ready for bed.

Raleigh opened the door and greeted his partner. “Come on in,” he invited. “I haven’t seen you all night. Well, at all since this morning. I was kinda worried I guess.”

Chuck entered the room timidly, his lack of confidence something that was entirely alien to him and felt all the more insane the more he realized that he was feeling so nervous. 

“I uh, I just wanted to talk a bit, mate,” the Aussie declared. “I mean if you’ve got time and all.”

“Yeah, sure. Have a seat,” the blond replied, motioning for Chuck to sit down at the one-person table near the mini-kitchen. The other man did so, briefly looking around the room, any excuse to stall. “Want a drink?”

Chuck started to shake his head but then thought better of it. Perhaps a little alcohol would help calm his nerves. “Sure. A beer if you got it.”

Raleigh reached into the mini ice chest that was sitting under the wash basin and removed a beer bottle, tossing it to his partner. Chuck popped the cork and took a swig, praying that the effect would be quick. His stomach was doing cartwheels with nerves. 

“So, what’s on your mind?”

The American waited patiently as Chuck gathered the confidence to bring up whatever topic had been plaguing him. The redhead took another swig, cleared his throat, and began.

“Look, I’m not real good at this sort of thing. Talking all personal and stuff. Nobody really cared before actually. Just m’dog, but I don’t think he can help on this one. I mean uh, I never knew another guy into guys. I mean I knew I wasn’t the only one, but I didn’t know any others and never had anyone to talk about with,” he babbled.

“So let me guess, you want to pick my brain?” Raleigh asked, leaning against the sink.

“No, smartass. I want a friend. A guy friend who likes guys,” Chuck replied sarcastically. “Jeez, I come here to talk and all ya wanna do is make fun of me.”

Raleigh put his hands up in front of him as if defending himself. “Okay, okay, sorry. I’m not making fun, I promise.”

“So are we mates or what? You already saw into m’head. You saw I’m fucked up. Fucked up Chuck. That’s me alright.”

“Yeah, we’re mates. And you’re not fucked up. Not when I’ve seen what your past was like,” the blond assured him, giving him a comforting smile. 

“Don’t judge me, Becket. None of it’s my fault.”

Raleigh nodded his head. “I know. Wasn’t saying it was. I’m just trying to tell you I understand you. That’s what friends—mates—are about. Understanding each other without all the judgment.”

“Yeah, yeah. So what about that stuff in the change room, eh?” the redhead asked, furrowing his brow as if contemplating the great mysteries of the world. 

“What about it? We both know we find each other attractive. We just got all the eyeballing out of the way. I mean, we were both curious and all,” Raleigh answered with a sly grin. “Look, I’m not saying it has to go anywhere or mean anything but some looking. Mates doesn’t mean fuckbuddies.”

Chuck stared at the beer in his hand, took another swig, then downed the rest of it altogether. The wheels in his head were turning like mad and he needed something to grease them up. Alcohol was doing the job just fine. 

“What if… What if I wanted to… I mean do we have to…” Chuck was struggling for the right words desperately and they would just not come. “Ah forget it. I think I need to get back to Max. He might need to be walked again.” He made to get up but Raleigh put his hand on the man’s shoulder. 

“If you’re asking what I think you’re asking, then we can talk about it. Mates do experiment sometimes you know. But I want you to think about it. Give it a lot of thought about what you’re asking to do, because once you go there, there’s no coming back. I don’t want you to do anything rash and regret it later.”

Chuck let out a boisterous laugh. “From what I hear, you’re all about rash decisions! I’m a grown-ass man. I can make up my mind just fine. I don’t need protecting like some kid.” He walked toward the door, putting his hand on the wheel. “But… thanks Becket.” He turned the spoke, opened the door and stepped out about to shut it behind him when Raleigh called out to him.

“If we’re gonna be friends, at least call me Raleigh.”

“Okay, Rahleigh,” he chided, walking back toward his own quarters. As soon as he was in the safety of his room, he let out the biggest sigh he could muster. His heart was still pounding, but now it wasn’t because he was afraid to talk to the other ranger. Instead it was because he wasn’t sure just what step he wanted to take next. He glanced down at Max and could have sworn that if dogs smiled, his bulldog was doing just that.

xxxxx

The entire crew of jaeger pilots stood at attention—sans the Marshall, who was in front of them, giving them an explanation. He was holding up something that looked like a transistor radio, but with a few extra projections coming from the body.

"Finally, after so many years of experimentation, both long and short range radio is available for use inside the jaegers. Until now the metal used in them prevented signals from passing through unhindered, but with new technology, it is now possible to communicate from jaeger to jaeger and from jaeger to LOCCENT using radio waves." Pentecost explained. "The signals however are not the strongest, so to ensure the clearest sound, keep transmissions short, concise, and direct."

"Sir, how will we be using these radios in the jaeger? How do we access them?" one of the Chinese men inquired. It was near impossible to tell which was which as all three Asian brothers—the Wei triplets-- looked exactly alike, right down to the sound of their voices. 

Pentecost looked over at one of the technicians in the room and nodded. It was Tendo Choi, the Chief LOCCENT Tech. "Each of your helmets are being outfitted with transmitters. They are linked to the jaeger itself by a cable connected to the control panel. There’s a trigger inside the glove of your non-dominant hand. Pull the trigger to activate outgoing transmission. Letting go will cut the outgoing. As for your jaegers, they should be ready to launch with the new communication devices by noon today and there will be a full test at nineteen-hundred. Any questions?"

Everyone had questions, particularly on the reliability of the communications but nobody asked. It didn't matter. It would either work or it wouldn’t, either way they had little time to figure it out. The horn and siren system was still accessible in emergency.

At lunch, Chuck actually joined his father Raleigh, and Mako, and while he said very little to Herc, the fact that he was conversing with Raleigh rather than throwing punches raised a few eyebrows around the mess hall. Interestingly enough, Mako was not one of them. Instead, she seemed rather happy that the two pilots were getting along and she was not about to question or impede upon it. 

After lunch, Raleigh joined his new friend in walking Max, feeding him another chicken leg. Later, they were sparring in the kwoon, working up a massive sweat before going to the communications test at seven. 

While changing in the drivesuit room, Herc waited for the right moment when his son was alone and approached him. "You and Becket seem to be fast friends," he said casually.

"What of it old man? Jealous or something?" Chuck snickered back. 

Herc scoffed. "Hardly. I just want to give you a piece of advice, son. I know you don't think I know anything about you, but I know more than you think. And I know some things about Raleigh Becket."

Chuck paused nervously, suddenly wondering just how ineffective his mental barriers may have been over the years. 

"Be careful. Don't let your relationship get in the way of your mission," the older ranger cautioned. "Now is not the time to let young emotions cloud your mind."

"What do you know old man? We just came to an... understanding," Chuck hissed. "That's all there is to it."

Herc raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the only one who's seen the way you two look at each other. I know Becket's gay, and I know—"

Chuck cut him off. "I'm not gay you old bastard," he growled, his face turning red. 

"Of course you're not. You're just a bloke who likes other blokes, I know. Your mental blocks aren't as effective as you think. I know plenty. Keep your hormones in check. Get a boyfriend later," Herc stated firmly. He turned to walk away but stopped short, making one last comment. "I don't care, by the way. I saw that in your head too. Your focus right now needs to be the mission. Focus on him later." Not waiting for a reply, he left the locker room, leaving Chuck dumbfounded and angry. 

Stupid old man. He made a big deal out of it for nothing! I was fine until he said something. Fuck him. I don't care if he doesn't care or not. And so what he saw through my blocks? I’ve seen enough of him to put him to shame too, Chuck thought. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes a moment, trying to force himself to calm down. 

An alarm began to blare loudly, echoing throughout the room. Chuck counted the number of horn blasts. One, two, three. That meant a kaiju attack. Next to come over the horn was the voice of Stacker Pentecost. 

"All jaeger teams report to launch bay immediately. This is not a drill."

All nine pilots were gathered in the launch bay, suited up and ready. Stacker stood before them, a grim look on his face. "Unfortunately we don't have time to test our new communication system. Should transmissions fail, resort to backup systems. Mr. Choi, your floor."

Tendo stepped forward, a chart of the pacific rim in his hands, various markings all over it. "This is a double event. We're going four on two so the odds are in our favor. We're calling them Leatherback and Otachi. Our brief analysis shows Leatherback to be a slower target, so Cherno Alpha, Gipsy Danger, your target. Otachi is notably more agile and fast, so Striker Eureka and Crimson Typhoon, your target. Any questions?"

"In that case, to your jaegers. Launch in ten minutes," the Marshall announced. There was a unified "Yes sir!" and the rangers filed out toward their jaeger launch bays. 

Exactly ten minutes later, the ceiling of the Shatterdome was sliding open, revealing the night sky, filled with rain and wind. Strong cables were attached to the jaegers, leading up to a fleet of airships used to haul them from the bays out to their fighting destinations. 

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Raleigh said, the jaeger coming to a stop in the air, all of the lighting in the conn pod dimming, leaving only essential panels and controls glowing. Striker Eureka was about to drop into the ocean. 

"Me either. Something seems wrong, and I don't know what it is," Chuck agreed.

They waited anxiously as first Cherno and then Crimson were dropped, followed by Gipsy and then themselves. On multi-jaeger drops it was a better idea to drop them one at a time to prevent any quake-like effects on the mainland. 

At first the ocean was quiet, the only movement from the waves created by the wind. Suddenly there was movement that looked like a large rock in the water. 

"Cherno Alpha, Leatherback has been sighted," Sasha Kaidonovsky stated into the radio. 

"Copy that Cherno, proceed with caution," Herc, for now a Deputy Marshall, chimed back. No sooner had he finished speaking, the rock reared up, revealing itself in full height. 

Leatherback was huge. It was bulky, like a mix between a turtle with a hard shell and a frog with pebbled skin. It was hunched on back legs that only partially broke the surface while it leaned on thick arms in a pose similar to a gorilla. 

"Gipsy Danger moving in," Pentecost announced. He then looked to Mako. "One more kill to add to the list. Let's go Mako." The woman nodded then focused her attention to the window before them. 

Leatherback reared up, throwing its arms in the air as if it were going to make an overhead pound, but Gipsy dashed forward, tackling it hard in football player style. It took the beast by surprise but only for a moment. It brought its arms down and locked Gipsy in a full embrace, the fingers clawing at Gipsy' back. 

Stacker and Mako were shoved backward all of a sudden, released from Leatherback's grip and stumbling back, barely staying on their feet. Cherno Alpha had come to the rescue, slamming into the creature and then lighting it ablaze with the incinerator mounts on its shoulders. 

The kaiju roared, throwing its arms around. Cherno hadn't had time to move away and was knocked backward, the jaeger falling on its rear. Leatherback then fell to the ground, submerging itself in the water and dousing the flames.

Meanwhile, Otachi had finally shown up farther down the coastline, ambushing Crimson Typhoon from behind. It latched onto the jaeger's back, the long and clawed tail shooting around the front to tear at the jaeger. Crimson reacted quickly, engaging the spinning saw blades on the ends of its arms. 

The three-armed jaeger thrashed about, aiming for the limbs that held onto it. It didn't slice through completely, but the blades caused enough damage to force the kaiju to let go and fall off of Typhoon's back. Crimson turned quickly, slashing forward, saws still spinning.

Striker engaged the sting blades sheathed in its arms, coming up behind Otachi, trying to get hold of the tail. Despite Otachi's visual focus being on the altercation with Typhoon, it seemed to be aware of Striker, strategically dodging the blades with its tail.

Gipsy had managed to latch onto one of Leatherback's arms and immediately engaged the forearm swords, the blades cutting into the arm and slicing it in two. The stump spewed bright blue blood down the front of Gipsy Danger and all over the ocean surface. The kaiju roared in rage and pain, making noises nobody had ever heard before. Something on its back began to quiver, glowing white. 

Cherno Alpha reached forward one of its fists and grabbed the glowing bulb of pebbled flesh and yanked, the object tearing away from the kaiju. Cherno crushed the bulb with its hand and threw it aside, leaving the rangers to wonder what would have happened had the white bulb not been destroyed. Before the howling Leatherback could counter, Cherno rammed its arm into the ragged hole, finding the creature's spine. 

Sasha said something threatening in Russian and both she and Aleksis motioned their attack. The grip the jaeger had on the spinal cord was like a massive vice and as Cherno reared back, it took the thick stalk of bone and muscle with it. 

Gipsy stabbed the kaiju in the chest at the same time, ensuring the creature's death. Just to make sure, Gipsy pushed its arm upward, slicing up through Leatherback's head. 

Otachi slammed its tail into Striker’s side, the jaeger failing to get a grip on it. The kaiju strengthened its grip on Typhoon, the arms of the Chinese jaeger no longer able to move around freely. Otachi leaned its head down and bit into the third arm, then tore it away, tossing it aside, the saw blade slowing down as it sailed through the air. 

Inside the jaeger, the Wei triplets screamed in agony as the pain of losing their jaeger’s limb coursed through their bodies. The distraction was all the powerful kaiju needed to finally overpower the Mark 4. Holding the machine, the clawed tail whipped around, aiming the pointed ends directly for the chest. 

The sound of wrenching metal echoed over the ocean as the claws dug into the center of Crimson Typhoon. 

The other three jaegers watched in horror as their comrade was literally torn to shreds in a matter of seconds, the head finally ripped off and crushed, ending the Wei’s lives. 

Striker had converged around with the others and lined itself up to launch its rockets, but they hesitated. At that point, the red jaeger hadn’t been finished off and the pilots were still alive in the attached head. If the missiles hit, the jaeger would explode, killing the Wei’s as well. 

No longer a danger to the now deceased pilots, Chuck and Raleigh released the barrage of missiles toward Otachi. The kaiju was smart, however, using the remains of the destroyed jaeger to defend itself, throw it forward to knock the missiles off course and exploding, the remnants of the jaeger taking the damage before falling to the water. 

“Fuck! Now what!? It’s gonna take a while to reload,” Raleigh asked, knowing already that Chuck had no idea either. 

“We’re going in!” Stacker’s voice said over the radio. Swords extended, Gipsy Danger dashed forward, aiming to impale the kaiju.

Otachi’s throat began to quiver, then it’s jaw flopped open and a glowing neon blue liquid began to surge outward. The ooze smacked directly into Gipsy’s chest, eating away the armor and hitting the steam core. 

“Evacuate!” Raleigh screamed into the radio. “Get out before—“ His words were cut short by the explosion caused by the jaeger. The acid reacted with the high-pressured core and like flame meeting an oxygen tank, it ignited and exploded like a bomb. 

“Oh my fucking god,” Chuck breathed heavily. “I’ve never seen that actually happen before. Do you think they…?”

“It’s too hard to see if they could evacuate in time. The airships should be searching for them from the sky. We gotta take care of that bitch, now,” Raleigh hissed. He then activated the communication link. “Cherno Alpha, distract the kaiju. Be careful of the acid. We’re gonna try and disable it.”

“Copy that Striker Eureka,” Sasha answered. 

Otachi reared up, its throat quivering again. Anticipating another acid spit, Cherno fired up the incinerator, the blast of fire meeting the acid in midair, the glowing liquid bursting into flame. 

The kaiju didn’t have a chance to spit again. While distracted by Cherno, Striker had snuck up behind the kaiju and as it opened its mouth to vomit, Striker reached in with its hand and tore the sac right from the throat.

Otachi screamed in pain, the sound unnatural and alien. Striker then impaled the kaiju from the back with a sting blade, blue blood spraying everywhere. 

Cherno Alpha approached the thrashing Otachi, Focusing on the head, Cherno reached up and slammed its fists together, Otachi’s head bursting like a grape. 

“Cherno Alpha to LOCCENT. Both targets destroyed. Permission to return to launch bay requested,” Sasha radioed. 

“Permission granted. Dispatching emergency crews to search for surviving pilots,” Herc radioed back. 

The airships positioned themselves above the two jaegers, the technicians descending ladders to connect and secure cabling so the machines could be carried back to the Shatterdome. 

The ride back was uncomfortably silent. The rangers didn’t say a word—all four of them were on the same page. They were all mourning their lost co-pilots already. Nobody spoke either in the drivesuit room as they showered and dressed. Their victory over the kaiju seemed tainted by loss. 

When the two teams entered the main hall for the regular congratulatory speech, the technicians and workers cheered in happiness. Sasha and Aleksis showed no emotion whatsoever. They had obviously trained themselves over the years to remain stoic no matter what, despite what they may feel inside. 

Raleigh and Chuck tried to humor the crowd with nods and smiles, but it all felt forced and disingenuous. 

Herc silence the crowd with a loud whistle. "We've lost a good group of rangers today. Three from China and one from the United Kingdom. While none of them could be rescued from combat, there was one survivor. Mako Mori is in the hospital unit, recovering. She's in critical care but they expect a full recovery. Visitors will not be accepted until she has had a chance to rest and the news of her adopted father's death has been relayed to her personally, by me. Anyone who makes an attempt at breaking the news before that will be dishonorably discharged from the PPDC immediately."

Not a single person made an objection. Not a single officer or staff member was unaware of Mako and Stacker's relationship to one another, and not a single person would dare cross Hercules Hansen either. Herc was a good man, rational, but also very stern and no-nonsense, especially when it cames to matters of regulation. 

"Striker Eureka and Cherno Alpha will be undergoing maintenance immediately and be returned to full operating condition. The ranger teams will meet in the marshal's office for their next mission in ten minutes. A short memorial for our fallen comrades will commence tomorrow morning at nine-hundred hours. Dismissed," he finished. 

All four rangers were silently thankful they were being summoned right away. It meant they could get away from the excitable crowd and the forlorn looks from friends of the fallen. 

On the way to the marshal's office, Raleigh fell into step beside Sasha Kaidonovsky. She remained stone-faced as always, looking straight ahead. Raleigh stared at her until he finally got her attention. She returned his stare. 

"Problem, comrade?" she asked.

"How do you do it?" he asked softly. "How do you remain so...hardened?"

Sasha actually cracked a very slight smile. "Russian military trains us to remain in control of our emotions at all times. Despair brings others despair. Staying firm in times of sadness keeps us focused."

"Oh. So you're not upset about this? That we lost those rangers?" Raleigh asked sadly.

The woman looked at him again, her eyes softer than he had ever seen them. "Yes, we mourn the loss, but we do so inside. The Wei men, they were great warriors. The Marshall, also great warrior. Their skills will be missed in combat, and the people behind those skills will be missed by friends and family. We will miss them, and for them we will destroy the Breach. For them, and for every fallen ranger. For every death since the war began."

"I like her enthusiasm, don't you mate?" Chuck said, nudging Aleksis in the arm. The much larger man looked down at Chuck, his face expressionless. Chuck slowed his pace enough to fall behind the intimidating man and joined alongside Raleigh. "Cheerful bunch, aren't they?"

Raleigh smiled. "Actually, I think I understand them."

Chuck looked confused. "Whatdya mean?"

"They're solid on the outside so they remain focused on their goal, but inside they're big softies," Raleigh replied. "Kinda like you act like a big asshole all the time but you're really a nice guy once someone gets to know you."

"Very funny, Rahleigh," the Australian replied sarcastically. "You're a real bundle of joy yourself."

Finally arriving at the Marshall's office, the four rangers filed in, standing at attention before the large desk. It was odd to see Herc behind it instead of Pentecost. In a way, Chuck couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of pride in the fact that it was his father who now led the PPDC as Marshall, but there was no way in hell he would ever show it, and if his co-pilot breathed a word of it upon seeing his mind again, there would be hell to pay. Progression as a result of loss was never a preferred method of rising in the ranks.

"At last, rangers," Herc said, standing up. "As you all have guessed by now I am sure, our next objective is to collapse the Breach, and that moment is now. As soon as the jaegers are back to functioning and ready for launch, you will be deployed to the bottom of the ocean where you will launch the nuclear missile."

Raleigh only half-listened as Herc explained the concept of the nuclear bomb and how it would work. All he could think about was the fact that this may be the last mission they ever took on, and that if the description Herc was giving was accurate, it was a mission none of them would be returning from.

xxxxx

Upon dismissal from the office, Chuck grabbed Raleigh by the arm and pulled him aside, whispering. "Come on, mate. Let's go see Mako. Cheer her up or something," the redhead suggested.

"And risk getting thrown out?" Raleigh replied.

"No, no, we go right after my old man gets out of there. He said that's where he was going next. We wait until we see him leave then sneak in there for a quick visit," Chuck explained. He had a slightly mischievous look on his face and Raleigh had to wonder if the plan was partially exciting for Chuck because it was a chance to defy his father. 

Raleigh thought on it a moment. "As long as it's after he told her. And if we get caught, you threatened me," he decided. 

"Oi! Threatened you with what, mate? A smack in the face? To let m'dog bite you in the arse? Whatever, sure, fine. I'll meet you in your room in thirty minutes," Chuck said. Raleigh nodded and the two went their own ways to their rooms. Chuck was going to give Max a quick walk, leaving the blond ranger to himself. 

xxxxx

Raleigh was just finishing up a journal entry in his ragged notebook, one of the few things he had left that Yancy had given him, logging the kaiju kill. The brothers had kept a journal documenting each kill they made, along with any articles printed in the newspapers and any pictures that may surface. It was the fifth kill that took up the most room though. It had Yancy's obituary, memorials, anything he could find relating to the incident. He kept it all to honor his brother, not because he wanted to remember his death but because he wanted to remember that he hadn't died for nothing. 

He heard a knock at the door. It had been a half hour; Chuck was ready for their visit. Raleigh unlocked the door and opened it, about to step out and join him, but Chuck ushered him back into the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

"What are you doing? I thought we were going to see Mako," Raleigh asked, pointing to the door. 

"We are, but not yet. I wanna talk first," Chuck replied quietly, walking past Raleigh and sitting on the edge of the bed. He pat the sheet next to him, signaling the other ranger to sit down next to him. Raleigh did so, and Chuck scooted a little closer, much like kids in the play yard, slyly getting as close as possible.

"Chuck..."

The redhead smiled sheepishly. "I thought about things. Long... and hard..." he said, emphasizing the last two words seductively. Raleigh raised an eyebrow. "I know you saw it in my head. When we drifted today," Chuck went on. "You know how I feel. So..."

Raleigh grinned, realizing what Chuck was referring to. “You’re completely su-“

Chuck interrupted the older ranger with a kiss, but it wasn’t exactly what he had expected. It was sloppy and over-eager, the redhead not even opening his mouth. 

“Slow down, Chuck,” Raleigh said, pressing his hand against the other man’s chest. “I already know you don’t have any experience so-“

The redhead scowled, but more hurt than angry. “That’s a low blow, mate! You don’t have—“

“That’s not what I meant,” the blond interrupted quickly. “I meant that since you don’t have any experience, let’s go slow, make this memorable for you.” He locked his eyes with the younger ranger’s, hoping he was understanding his intentions. “My first time was terrible and a story I would rather you not see in my head, so let me try and give you what I didn’t have, okay?” 

Chuck gulped, nodded, and then took a deep breath. In his head he had imagined simply mauling Raleigh right there on the bed, making out until they were hot and sweaty and tearing each other’s clothes off before going on to do things he had only thought of in masturbatory fantasies. Instead, Raleigh actually cared how this went, and that was something he hadn’t expected. 

Raleigh reached up and gently caressed Chuck’s cheek with his fingertips, smiling as the short whiskers tickled his skin. He then leaned closer, looking into the other man’s eyes, tracing his fingers down to hold his chin in place so Chuck couldn’t turn away. Their lips touched as both of them closed their eyes. Raleigh parted his lips slightly, letting his tongue press against Chuck’s mouth, begging for entry. The redhead complied, their tongues meeting. 

Chuck gave a quiet moan as he let the older ranger take control. He felt his bottom lip being sucked on, gently nibbled and licked. He didn’t even realize he had let his hands move of their own accord, caressing the blond and squeezing his firm arm muscles.

When they broke the kiss, Chuck gave out a contented sigh and smiled. “That was excellent, mate,” he said softly. 

“Yeah it was. And that’s just the beginning. Let your hands roam free. Let go of your inhibitions,” Raleigh said seductively. He leaned forward again, this time slightly more forcefully. 

Chuck let his hands begin to explore his new partner, slipping his hands under the other man’s shirt. Within a matter of minutes they were both nude and entangled in a mess of limbs as Raleigh led Chuck down the path of the younger ranger’s first sexual experience of his life.

 

xxxxx

Raleigh and Chuck finished dressing and making themselves look presentable, ready to go forward with their original plan to see Mako. By now, more than enough time had passed for Herc to talk to her and judging by the hour, he was most likely asleep in his bunk. It wasn't forbidden for them to be out so late, but if they were seen, questions might be asked later.

They very quietly left Raleigh's room, pulling the door shut carefully. Looking around like guilty teenagers, they made their way to the medical wing. From what they could see, there was only a single nurse on duty and no other people around. All they had to do in order to sneak in was crawl along the floor, under the window near the nurse's station so she wouldn't see them and then very quietly open the door just enough to get into Mako's room. 

Chuck was grinning like a naughty child the entire time they snuck past the nurse and right up until they made it inside Mako's room. 

"You're enjoying this way too much, you know that right?" Raleigh teased. 

"Oi, shut up, mate! It makes me feel like a kid again!"

They heard a light cough and then Mako's faint voice calling out. "Hello? Who's there?" she croaked.

"It's Raleigh," the blond whispered, standing next to her. He reached forward and took her hand, noting the coldness. "And Chuck, too. We wanted to see you."

Mako took a deep breath, looked at the two men standing over her bedside and smiled weakly. "You know you shouldn't be here," she said. "Trouble."

"C'mon Mako, you know by now we aren't worried about that, we just wanted to see how you were doing," Chuck said. "Especially after... the news."

The Asian woman groaned, tears coming to her eyes. "Sensei..." she cried. "Sensei..."

"It's okay, Mako, we're here for you," Raleigh chimed in quickly. "It's gonna be okay."

"Lost family. Lost sensei," she mumbled, her cheeks stained wet. 

Chuck reached out and set his hand atop Raleigh's, intertwined with Mako's fingers. Both men knew all too well the sensation of loss. Raleigh's entire family, he had been left completely alone. Chuck still had Herc but their relationship was crumbled. Mako had lost everyone before, found hope in an adopted father, and now had no family once again. 

"You guys, friends now?" she asked, looking from one ranger to the other. 

"Yeah, settled our differences, we did. And we're your friends, too," Chuck replied. 

Mako smiled despite the pain in her head and the hole in her heart where Stacker was torn away. 

Raleigh gave a gentle squeeze to her hand. "Yeah. You're not alone, Mako. We're here for you. We promise."

"Arigato," the woman whispered. "So tired. I... I want to sleep."

"Yeah, you need rest. We'll come see you after..." Raleigh began, unsure if Mako even knew there was a service for her father in the morning.

"After you've had time to wake up and eat your breakfast," Chuck intervened, knowing exactly why his friend had stuttered. 

Mako attempted one last smile and then closed her eyes. "Arigato gozaimasu..." She drifted off, falling asleep. 

The rangers snuck out as easily as they had snuck in, but neither one of them realized the nurse had indeed noticed them, she simply didn't say anything. She knew Mako needed the support of her friends, and it wouldn't hurt anything if she let them visit for just a few minutes. 

"Hey Beck—Raleigh?"

"Yeah?"

Chuck's sheepish grin returned, his cheeks turning pink. "Can I stay in your room tonight?"

"I only got one bed," the blond replied, arching an eyebrow. "You'd have to sleep on the floor, or in my bed, next to me."

"That's the point," Chuck said, but now in a full on smile. "Please? I don't want to be alone right now. Seeing Mako, it brought back a lot of memories for me."

Now Raleigh grinned. "Well, I sleep naked, so if that's not a problem for you..."

"Nope, no problem!" Chuck blurted out before the other ranger could even complete his sentence. 

“I was kidding, Chuck,” the blond teased. “Loose pants and an undershirt.”

Chuck grinned slyly. “Not tonight, Be—Raleigh.”

 

xxxxx

The next morning was incredibly depressing. The entire PPDC in the Shatterdome gathered outside for a speech honoring the former Marshall. Mako was in very sad shape still, but she had been graciously brought in attendance via wheelchair, the woman weeping quietly. Raleigh and Chuck stood on either side of her protectively, each with a hand on her shoulder. 

Raleigh wished that he was able to control his emotions the same way Sasha and Aleksis were able to. Instead, a tear slid down his face. The Marshall had been his commander the entire time he had jockeyed Gipsy Danger years ago, and it was the Marshall who had re-recruited him now. Despite his rigid demeanor, he was a great leader. 

When the ceremony was over, Mako was taken back to her room to rest. The crying had taken a toll on her breathing, the young woman needing her oxygen flow. She was far from dead, but she was badly hurt and would be out of commission for some time. Her lungs had suffered from severe smoke inhalation as well as intake of steam in the explosion. Her drive suit had taken the brunt of the damage when she was tossed violently from the jaeger at the last minute—ejected by her father in an attempt to save his adopted daughter. She would carry that guilt with her forever.

Lunch was eerily silent. The sound of the Wei’s playing some sort of game was noticeably absent. Most of the chatter of the technicians was missing. The Kaidanovsky’s were mysteriously not present, either. 

Chuck got up from the table to retrieve a sheepskin flask of water just as his father sat down to join them. The two men exchanged a quick glance, but it lacked the usual animosity. Instead, it was almost pleading. Sad. Frightened.

“With respect Marshall,” Raleigh said quietly. “Chuck needs you right now. Seeing the reality of Mako losing her father in battle has gotten to him.”

Herc didn’t look up from his tray as he spoke. “Chuck and I… we don’t communicate well. Especially after I got hurt. Now that we don’t drift, we never really talk. I guess we didn’t realize how much we depended on the drift.”

“Again sir, with respect, that’s a poor excuse,” the American stated, looking directly at Herc, waiting for him to look up. 

“Ranger, know your—“ Herc began, hating to acknowledge that Raleigh’s words were very much true. 

“Sir, Herc, Chuck told me about what happened when he was a kid. Well, I mean he did in the drift. I saw it all. I saw his childhood. His teenage years. Everything. I even saw something he definitely didn’t want me to see, and he doesn’t know I did,” Raleigh explained. “Chuck needs his dad. He’s angry and resentful, but he still needs you, and if you don’t push, he won’t ask.”

Before Herc could respond, Chuck returned with his sheepskin. “Oi, let’s go get a bit of air, Raleigh,” he suggested. Raleigh broke his stare from Herc, who nodded for them to go. When Chuck wasn’t looking, he mouthed “Thank you” to Raleigh. 

“What you talking to m’old man about? Not about me I hope,” Chuck said, the pair of them exiting the Shatterdome canteen and walking along the sidewalk that led to another area of the complex. 

Raleigh shrugged. He figured it best not to tell his friend too much, but just enough to put something to think about in his head. “I was just mentioning that we’re ready for the mission, but we might not come back, so if he had anything to say to you, now is the time.”

The redhead stopped walking and cocked his head. “Oi, why would you say something like that then?”

“It’s good advice. No regrets for things unsaid and all,” the blond replied smugly. “Maybe you should think about the same thing.” He noticed the scowl cross the other man’s face and grinned. “It was just a suggestion. I don’t have anyone left to say goodbye to. I just hope the people who do are smart enough to do it. That’s all I’m gonna say about it. We came out here for air, so let’s do some walking around.”

Raleigh expected a sarcastic response but instead Chuck remained silent for the majority of their trail. It was a comfortable silence, however, as the ranger could tell his younger co-pilot was giving his words some heavy thought. Raleigh hadn’t been making it all up. There was a very real possibility they might die on this mission since nobody really knew what was going to happen with this nuclear bomb they were supposed to set off. He hated to think that Herc would go the rest of his life regretting not making amends with his son. The only way that would happen though was if Chuck was amenable to it in the first place. 

The two rangers spent the rest of the afternoon sparring, working out, and spending some time alone. When it was time for dinner, Raleigh opened his door to find Chuck standing there looking slightly confused and nervous.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” the blond asked, immediately concerned. 

Chuck nodded toward the room, the door still open. “In there, mate. Not out here.”

Raleigh turned right around and went back inside, Chuck shutting the door as soon as they were both inside. 

“I couldn’t do it, mate,” Chuck said almost mournfully. “I couldn’t talk to him. I thought hard about it, I did. I even went as far as his room, knocked on the door. As soon as he answered, I chickened out and said I was just looking for Max.”

The older ranger pulled his young friend in for a comforting embrace, sensing that Chuck was struggling so hard to keep his emotions in check. The man was trembling, trying to keep it all in, and just before they hugged, he had seen Chuck’s eyes. They were red and looking wet. 

“You tried. At least you tried,” Raleigh said, not letting go. “You can… you can go ahead and let it out if you need to. I won’t make fun of you,” he added. Chuck’s response was to do just as he had been told. He let go.

Wrapping his arms around his comrade, Chuck sobbed into his shoulder, babbling incoherently. Never in a million years did either man think this scenario would be occurring, that badass Chuck Hansen would be crying on Raleigh Becket’s shoulder in a moment of weakness, yet here they were.

“I don’t wanna die, Raleigh,” the redhead uttered suddenly. “I’m not ready. There’s too much to do. I haven’t even had a relationship yet. I don’t wanna die. I’m scared of that, I am. And if you ever tell anybody, I’ll kill ya.”

Raleigh smiled. “I expect nothing else from you, Chuck Hansen. Badass to the end. Nobody says we’re going to die. Not for sure. It’s just a possibility. But we’re gonna try our damnedest to come back from this. You and me. Sasha and Aleksis. After all, we gotta celebrate, show those Russians we can drink them under the table, right?”

“Yeah. I guess I’m just scared. But if I gotta die next to someone, I’m glad it’s you,” Chuck said. Raleigh gave him an authoritative look. “But we aren’t gonna die so it doesn’t matter. Now enough of this sodding sappy crap, I’m hungry.”

“And there’s the regular Chuck we all know and love,” Raleigh joked. 

The last statement at dinner was to report to the marshal’s office after. The two men and the Kaidonovsky’s met in the office, facing Herc. The elder man addressed them forlornly, informing them that they intended to launch the mission the very next day. They had exactly sixteen hours until deployment. It would be their last, regardless of the outcome.

As expected, Sasha and Aleksis filed out of the room with stony expressions. Raleigh would have killed to know what was really going on in their minds. Did it bother them at all that they were possibly going to die tomorrow? Did it give them any form of relief that there would be no more missions after this? There were no more jaegers. Striker Eureka and Cherno Alpha were it. 

As Raleigh left, he noticed Chuck hesitated as if to stay behind, but finally the man followed him out. He said nothing to the younger ranger, knowing Chuck had enough going on in his head at the moment. The last thing he needed was to be given crap about still not speaking to his father.

“Raleigh, wait up!” the redhead called out. The older ranger paused, waiting. “What are you gonna do for the next sixteen hours? Got any plans?”

Raleigh scoffed. “No. It doesn’t make a difference what we do, does it? I mean, we might be dying tomorrow, how do you decide what to do in your last moments, especially when you don’t know for sure it’s your last moments?”

“Well, uh if you don’t have any other ideas, I thought maybe… Maybe we could spend them together. You and me and Max. Just hang out maybe, nothing special. Then maybe we could… Will you…” Chuck had seemed so confident in his suggestion at first but now, as he asked for something far more personal, he stuttered. 

“Why don’t we sleep together again? Max can even sleep right next to the bed. It’ll be great,” Raleigh offered. Chuck smiled, appreciative that he didn’t have to finish his request.

As they walked down the hall toward the barracks, Chuck reached out and found Raleigh’s hand, taking it and intertwining their fingers. To his satisfaction, the blond didn’t pull away, but instead squeezed right back. They passed by a group of technicians, who looked at them oddly, but they paid no attention. They were going to save the world tomorrow and if they wanted to hold hands and spend their potential last moments together, they were going to do exactly that.

The two rangers played cards, drank a little, listened to the radio, and talked until they were both tired. This time when they got ready for bed, they didn’t bother with clothing and just climbed in, naked. Max settled down at the base of the bed before falling asleep.

Raleigh wrapped his arms around Chuck, and after several minutes the redhead turned to face him and they kissed. Before long they were heavily making out and then doing things they would have felt ashamed of had Max been awake to see them. It was good for them, leaving them in a kind of euphoric state to fall asleep after tremendous orgasms. 

xxxxx

The Shatterdome was abuzz with activity. Techs were busy doing last minute checks on the jaegers, securing the nuclear bomb on the back of Striker Eureka, right between the ‘angel wings’. The plan was for Striker and Cherno Alpha to descend to the bottom of the ocean, Cherno’s main objective being to protect Striker at all costs. Striker, being more agile and faster, would quickly move in to the cliff near the breach and launch the rocket. The two jaegers were then supposed to turn tail and flee, getting away from the explosion as quickly as possible. The biggest danger came from the fact that they had no idea exactly what was guarding the breach or exactly how the nuclear weapon would act. There were a lot of unanswered questions and the danger level was high. 

Secured into their harnesses and locked into the jaegers, the teams were lifted up by fleets of airships. They carried the jaegers to the area where the breach was located. They had to be dropped well before the breach point because as they descended, currents would be pushing them toward it, and they were trying to avoid falling off that cliff. If they did, it might be near impossible to get back out, particularly for Cherno Alpha, which was far less agile and twice as heavy. 

“Cherno Alpha reaching target zone. Disengaging transport,” they heard Sasha say over the radio. The sound of cables snapping echoed over the waters and then a loud splash caused twenty-foot waves to crash around the jaeger. 

“Striker Eureka, disengaging transport,” Chuck announced. Seconds later they, too, were dropped into the ocean. 

There were no cliffs or ledges on the way down, so the two machines sank like rocks through the depths. They had no idea exactly how far down they were going, the hulls of the two jaegers creaking slightly. It was highly unnerving, neither team aware of exactly how much pressure the jaegers could withstand. None of them had ever been completely submerged like this and had not necessarily been built for this particular activity.

“Airship one-zero-six-two, maintain low altitude for communication,” Herc instructed over the radio. That particular airship would be hovering just above the depths of the ocean in order to keep the radio signal transmission between LOCCENT and the jaegers going as long as possible. No one knew how well the signals would perform underwater, and so far away from the signal base. 

Cherno was the first of the two jaegers to land on the bottom of the ocean. The water rippled outward at the sound of metal hitting rock and dirt that had been under immense pressure for millions of years. With every movement from the machine the liquid bubbled and churned, ensuring there would be no such thing as a surprise attack. 

Striker landed next, only meters away. “Engaging lighting,” Sasha announced. The war machine began to glow as numerous lights came on, mostly on the head and shoulders of the jaeger. Chuck followed suit with the flip of a switch and Striker it up light a Christmas tree. 

“Even with the lights it’s hard to fucking see under here. A kaiju could sideswipe us anytime and—“ Chuck complained offair.

“Shut up, shut up,” Raleigh ushered, pointing forward. “Look up ahead.”

Chuck focused his gaze out of the dashboard window where his eyes laid upon four glowing orbs. Upon closer inspection he could see the leathery flesh with spots that began to pulse eerie blues and greens. 

“Targets located up ahead,” the Russian woman acknowledged on-air. “Standing by to defend.”

“Don’t forget, they’ve got the advantage down here,” Raleigh reminded everyone. “They’ll be faster than usual.”

“They will die faster than usual,” the booming sound of Aleksis Kaidanovsky declared. “See, they come to us now.”

The beefy man was right. The two kaiju were beginning to move forward. “On the left, codename Raiju. Right, codename Scunner,” Herc told them. “Remember we cannot see them here. You must rely on identifying markings to differentiate your opponents.”

“Not a problem, old man,” Chuck replied. Herc grimaced at the nickname but didn’t bother to correct him. It wasn’t important right now. The two kaiju were incredibly different from each other. Raiju was like an oversized crocodile mixed with an iguana and Godzilla, albiet much thinner. It swam through the water quickly and reached Cherno Alpha in a matter of seconds.

Raiju opened its jaws, ready to bite at its target, but Cherno ducked down and came back up with an uppercut, further boosted with the extending arms built into the jaeger. It threw the kaiju off track and its claws merely scratched at empty water until it slammed into the ground. 

Cherno came up behind the dizzied monster and roughly gripped the tail, yanking it backward. The way it was positioned, Cherno was easily able to grab it by the throat with its free hand.

Scunner had spread out from where Raiju was and had been making a rather poor attempt at sneaking up on Striker Eureka. The faster jaeger spotted him immediately and advanced on the enormous, armored beast. Striker alternately swung with both fists, barely making sparks as the metal slid right off of the plating that covered Scunner. Growing bored with the fly poking at him, Scunner reached out with its own arms, held Striker by the shoulders, and gave it a headbutt with the bastardized hammerhead-shark shaped cranium. 

Striker stumbled backward, almost falling off balance. The pilots inside yelled more out of anger than pain. Seeing that the creature in front of them was going to be much tougher and more resilient to blunt force, they decided to go for the sharper approach. 

“Engaging sting-blades!” Chuck declared, the jaeger rebalancing itself and sliding the razor-sharp blades into place on the forearms. The jaeger marched forward right up to Scunner and thrust its blade directly into the middle of Scunner’s chest. It pierced the armor with a loud squeal, sparks flying, right up to the fist. Blue liquid slowly seeped out around the wound. 

“That was way too easy,” Raleigh said suspiciously. Too easy indeed as the beast reached out, took Striker around the wrist with both hands, and wrenched, the blade snapping as the arm was twisted sideways.

Striker’s arm didn’t come off nor lose functionality, but the blade was gone, critically lessening their attack power. The kaiju reached into it chest with the tips of its claws and pulled out the remainder of the sting blade, tossing it aside as Raleigh and Chuck watched in horror. The creature was not dead, nor seemed to be crippled.

Raiju finally tore itself free from Cherno Alpha’s grasp, using its speed to come up on the jaeger’s back. It pushed Cherno face-forward into the rocky floor, then pulled back and then pushed down again, slamming the conn-pod dangerously close to the ground. 

Cherno’s turbines wouldn’t be able to send flame, but turning them on, they became intensely hot, the water around them bubbling quickly, and the kaiju finally unable to hold on without being burned by the hot metal. 

The Russians took advantage of the moment to recover, turning back against the kaiju. Again Cherno grabbed the tail and the neck, but this time raised it to chest level and placed its foot in the middle of Raiju’s back. 

The sound of Raiju’s spine snapping in half was almost deafening inside the conn-pod. Cherno didn’t let go, either, and continued to press with its foot until it was grinding the carcass into the ocean floor. Blue blood poured from the dying kaiju as the two halves writhed on the ground in agony. 

Scunner and Striker were trading blows one for one, each hit sending Striker staggering back closer and closer to a very large rock formation. It was obvious the kaiju was trying to corner the jaeger up against the rocks to pummel it to death. 

Scunner went to swing at Striker again but its arm would not move. It was being pulled backward by the iron grip of Cherno Alpha, giving Striker enough time to get away and reposition itself away from the rocks. 

The kaiju yanked its arm away and stomped closer to the formation, turning around and facing Cherno and Striker. It was now two on one—power and speed against armor. 

Cherno and Striker closed in on the kaiju, Striker ready to use its remaining blade to slice off anything it could come into contact with. Cherno meant only to hold the bastard down while their comrade carved away. 

Scunner was not about to go down easily. It backed up all the way against the formation and then used its legs to kick off from the side, zooming through the water between the jaegers. Striker reached out with its unarmed hand and took hold of the tail. It didn’t lose grip but it did get pulled to the floor, Scunner pulling it along as it swam. 

The Russian jaeger moved forward and broke into a run, reaching the kaiju faster than expected. It wrapped both hands around the tail as well, but this time the kaiju came to a very abrupt stop. Striker got down on one knee and jammed the sting blade upward, slicing the tail down the middle. Cherno then pulled along, and after several more seconds, the squirming kaiju was bisected. It was almost comical—one kaiju in half lengthways, the other down the middle. 

“Status report,” Chuck requested as the two teams gathered themselves together. 

“Cherno Alpha, minor damage to the frontal hull. Turbines low on power and recharging,” Aleksis answered back.

“Striker Eureka, moderate damage to hull, right sting blade removed, torpedoes still loaded. Nuclear rocket stable,” Raleigh reported. After a sigh, he added, “I hope that was it.”

Chuck laughed. “Me too. I just wanna drop this bomb and go home.”

“Cherno Alpha to Striker Eureka, you may want to reconsider the ease of victory,” Sasha announced almost sarcastically over the radio. 

Chuck and Raleigh turned around to look in the same direction as Cherno, only to find the trench not far in front of them, as well as something else. Glowing blue, green, and red, a kaiju more massive than any they had ever seen was coming out of the breach. They watched as it seemed to keep coming and coming, almost half of it pure tail, made up of numerous tentacles. 

“Holy fuck,” someone—all of them—said together. 

“Report!” Herc’s voice boomed through the conn-pods. “Report immediately!” The signal was faint, obviously dulled by the extreme depths. 

Chuck looked at his co-pilot and grinned. “Striker Eureka here, ready to make history old man!”

“Cherno Alpha, preparing to engage opponent,” Sasha answered in a more serious tone. 

“Proceed,” Herc ordered, almost halfheartedly. He didn’t know how to take Chuck’s comment. Did it mean they were about to go in for death, or were they about to complete the mission with no losses? What exactly did it mean to make history?

Herc took a moment to survey the room. In addition to the usual crew, Mako Mori had been brought in via wheelchair and was sitting nearby, her face a mask of worry. She had insisted on being present during the mission since she could otherwise not contribute. 

Near Mako’s feet was Max, wearing his typical jacket and goggles. Chuck had dressed the dog himself before leaving, and Herc had to wonder if Chuck thought of it as his last time doing that for the animal. Even Max had an anxious look, having the most understanding of the situation that a dog could possibly have.

Down below, Slattern, as it was to be called, finished rising and floated before them. It was bigger than both jaegers put together and had a more sinister look than any other kaiju before it. Surely, this had to be the kaiju leader.  
The two teams were dumbfounded, unsure of exactly what to do. This was out of their range of experience and was surely unexpected. 

“Worth a shot…” Chuck mumbled, engaging the missile launch bay that normally housed air missiles but now were outfitted with torpedoes. Sixteen torpedoes launched in groups of four toward the massive Slattern, but the kaiju whipped the tail around and began to actually spin the tentacles. 

The tentacles made a whirlpool of sorts directly in front of it, screwing up the torpedoes’ aim and sending them flying in different directions. The explosions were like underwater fireworks, going off mid-water, in the ground, and into the trench itself. 

Slattern was not finished with its tentacle show, however, and it continued to spin them, the whirlpool starting to pull the jaegers inward toward it. Cherno reached it first, the tentacles slamming into it chest first, putting noticeable dents into the hull. Striker slammed into it until the two jaegers were spinning through the water, banging into one another. 

The tentacles ceased to spin, the kaiju becoming bored quickly. It opened its mouth - in four directions at once. It split into four separate sections. It roared, a sound completely alien to the crews. The ripples of sound waves was enough to knock the two jaegers further back, both of them sprawling like children. 

“Cherno Alpha, hull is severely damaged. We’re taking on water,” Sasha said. 

Striker had not sprung a leak yet, but if Cherno continued to take in water, it may eventually lose all pressure and collapse in on itself. Not a good scenario.

Slattern floated toward them, reaching out with huge arms to take hold of Striker first. It treated the jaeger like a toy, picking it up and slamming it against the ground, picking it up again, then tossing it aside until it scraped against the ocean floor.

It then turned and followed its prey, finally showing its feet as one of the clawed appendages lowered onto Striker’s chest. 

Slattern’s foot was pushed away as Cherno took a running dash toward the kaiju, knocking into it with its shoulder like a football tackler. Slattern grabbed onto Cherno and took the Russian jaeger with it, regaining control and swimming through the water. The kaiju slashed at Cherno’s head with its claws, tearing open the metal.

“Cherno Alpha, hull has been breached! Repeat, hull has been breached! Steam core dangerously vulnerable!” Sasha yelled over the speaker. Striker was recovering, about to come to their rescue when Sasha’s voice again came over the radio. “Do not assist! Do not assist! Hull is critically damaged, losing pressure!”

“Hang on Cherno, we can help you!” Chuck yelled back.

“Do not assist! Complete mission while we have the kaiju distracted!” the woman blared.

Chuck and Raleigh exchanged glances and then nods as they both physically and mentally agreed to go through with their comrades’ orders. Sasha was right—this was the perfect opportunity to launch the rocket into the breach, while Slattern was preoccupied with Cherno.

“Copy that Cherno!” Chuck relayed. The damaged Striker moved slower than usual, its mechanical systems being driven to their maximum. Slattern and Cherno were hovering not far above the ledge, right where it led to the breach. Striker reached the edge and stared off into the abyss below.

The breach was, in a word, beautiful. An amazing array of neon blues, oranges, and yellows. Filled with color that seemed to be actually pulsing with life. It was unearthly yet very much of the planet itself. The brightness was almost blinding. Both Chuck and Raleigh were lost, mesmerized by the breach.

Slattern held Cherno up before its body, its tentacles becoming sharp points that it poked at the jaeger like a voodoo doll. There was no way Cherno was going to survive the barrage of attacks upon it. 

“Hansen! Hansen!” Sasha’s voice cut in and out as she called for the other ranger. “Hansen! Timing! Watch the timing!” she yelled. Her voice was cut off by a loud squealing of metal, then a popping of vents. “—going to—-take kaiju—-down with us—-when—-launch bomb—“

“Cherno! Cherno Alpha! Come in! Kaidonovsky!” Chuck yelled back, but it did no good. The connection was cut off. The radios were no longer any good, too badly damaged by the kaiju, the breach, the depths, a mixture of everything. It was now only Chuck and Raleigh, alone. They had to figure out what Sasha meant.

“What the fuck did she mean? Watch the timing?” Chuck asked, frustrated. “Timing of what?”

Raleigh sighed as he scanned his brain for a solution. He played the broken message in his head over and over again, both for him and for Chuck, and finally a solution locked into place.

“They’re going to take Slattern down with them. She knows they’re almost done for, so she’s gonna do something to take Slattern with them! That’s when we drop the bomb!” Raleigh declared confidently. “That has to be it.”

“That came to you entirely too easily. Are you sure? What if that isn’t what she meant?”

“The drift… nobody understands it completely, but… I just had a sort of realization and it made sense and somehow I felt like maybe she said I was right even if she isn’t in our drift,” Raleigh babbled. “Whatever, we need to be ready to launch.”

Chuck didn’t reply, his praise for his friend being sent mentally, along with his understanding of the plan. They perched upon the edge of the breach, bracing themselves with their arms, bent at the perfect angle to launch the rocket into the trench.

Slattern was continuing to toy with Cherno Alpha, tentacles now picking at the limbs of the jaeger. Water was pouring into the machine, limiting the movement it could make. Cables were severed, metal plating was bent and broken. There was only one thing left for them to do.

Sasha and Aleksis did not verbally discuss their action, nor their emotions at the moment. They knew it all in the drift, they didn’t need to express any of it normally. They traded knowledge that Cherno was close to death. The steam core needed to be pushed just barely over the edge and coupled with the water pressure, they would create an implosion, like a black hole. They thrust themselves forward, grabbing onto Slattern as if giving it a hug.

The two stoic rangers pressed the appropriate switches on their consoles, sending out the signals throughout Cherno Alpha. All it would take to detonate would be one flip.

Sasha reached forward, putting her finger on the metal tab. “До свидания, сука” (Good bye, bitch). 

The steam core was punctured and sucked in the air and water around it. The draw pulled Slattern in closer still. The Russians were dead, and their jaeger was quickly draining the life from their enemy. The last step would be up to the American and the Australian.

“Launch!” Raleigh called out, he and Chuck ticking their own switches. The nuclear bomb flew off of Striker’s back and through the water, heading directly for the sinking Cherno-Slattern combo. When the nuke hit, the explosion was unlike anything anyone on the planet had ever experienced.

It really was like a black hole opened up in the ocean. The bomb, the remains of Cherno Alpha, Slattern, and the breach all collapsed in upon themselves, the simultaneous action drawing everything into complete darkness. 

Striker Eureka crawled desperately away from the explosion, resisting the pull from what would later be called the Black Alpha, the first black hole within inner-space. 

The black hole exploded.

Everything that had been pulled into the implosion was brought directly into the breach, and when it collapsed, the void left there was an outward force that lifted up everything on the ocean floor, including the struggling Striker Eureka, and shoved it outward.

Striker flew through the water, slamming into rock, shattering coral reefs, and eventually shooting through the surface and into the sky. It came right back down, landing on top of airship one-zero-six-two. The airship exploded underneath the jaeger but kept it adrift long enough for the jaeger pilots and the airship pilots to escape alive. 

The airship fleet returned to the site, picking up the survivors and carrying off the remnants of Striker Eureka and airship one-zero-six-two. 

Inside the LOCCENT everyone was cheering loudly. Hercules Hansen let out a sigh of relief the moment he got word his son was safe. Mako Mori sobbed uncontrollably in happiness that her two friends were coming back alive and that there would be no more kaiju. Even Max barked loudly, understanding there was a reason for celebration.

Inside of the airship, Raleigh and Chuck lay on opposite sides of the medical facility, most of their drive suits removed, damaged, or missing from the battle altogether. They looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing. They didn’t need to say anything. The look in their eyes was plenty. Relief. Happiness. Sadness. Accomplishment. Satisfaction.

xxxxx

**Five Years Later…  
Sydney, Australia**

“I’m so glad to see Mako again. It’s been way too long,” Raleigh said, fixing his suit as he looked in the mirror. “What about your dad? Aren’t you anxious to see him too?”

Chuck shrugged. “I suppose. It’s not like I don’t ever hear from him. He's so busy all the time, but he still sends letters and radio's.” He glanced at the framed photo plate that hung on the wall of their modest apartment. It had Chuck, Raleigh, Herc and Mako standing together, each with medals pinned on their uniforms. It was a symbol of starting a new life, post-kaiju. 

Shortly after returning from the mission, Raleigh and Chuck made their relationship official, often seen holding hands as they walked down the street or stealing chaste kisses when they thought no one was looking.

The PPDC paid them a hefty sum of money for their participation in the mission and continued to give them a reasonable annual salary, but both of them still chose to work. Chuck as a mechanic and Raleigh in construction. It was obvious both of them were dedicated to making the world a better place even after saving it from the destruction of the kaiju. 

Mako, on the other hand, had returned to Japan, where she created a charity in the name of her adoptive father, benefitting the reconstruction of the Japanese cities affected by the attacks. She then decided to attend school to become a scientist in oceanography. She graduated at the top of her class. 

As for Hercules Hansen, his involvement with the PPDC as Marshall garnered him a special position with the military sciences division, further exploring the possibilities of nuclear power. The actual science wasn't his cup of tea, but instead he was the public face of the nuclear power movement. 

“Excuse me sirs, your transportation has arrived,” announced an older gentleman in a black suit, with white gloves. Raleigh checked his jacket one last time and dashed after Chuck, who was already taking Max’s leash from the concierge. 

"Really, Sebastian? A top hat and tails?" Chuck chided the man when he saw what Max was wearing. It was a formal looking suit, complete with a top hat strapped to the dog's head with a string. He looked incredibly uncomfortable and annoyed.

"I thought his usual outfit wouldn't be appropriate for the occasion, sir," Sebastian stated.

Chuck rolled his eyes and snatched off the top hat, tossing it aside and kneeling down to kiss the bulldog on the head. "Don't worry boy, I'll get you back in your jacket soon enough, eh?" The dog licked his hand, looking slightly less irritable now that the hat was gone.

They got into the elevator, a contraption made of pulleys and cables with a steam vent at the bottom of the elevator shaft to regulate the speed of descent, and rode to the first floor. When they set foot outside to the street, they found waiting for them a street car with Mako Mori sitting in the driver’s seat. She was grinning widely as her two friends gawked at her vehicle. 

“Alright then Mako, got you a nice piece of metal here eh? Trade your jaeger in for something a bit fancier I see,” Chuck teased.

“I have to get some sort of perks for knowing two of the most famous men in recent history,” she replied, nodding toward he and Raleigh. “Now come on, we’ll be late.”

The two former rangers climbed into the backseat, allowing Max to ride in front with Mako. They rode the several miles to their location, the vehicle riding smoothly with only the occasional release of steam from the engine core interrupting them and parked in a huge lot surrounded by metal fences and filled with other street cars and trucks. 

Before even making their way to the gate, all three of them stared skyward at the humongous building before them. It was made completely of concrete and shaped in an oval that reached upward. The top was open, allowing billowing white smoke into the air. There was a faint hum in the air, but none of them were sure if it was coming from the tower or something else.

“Wow. It looks just like Cherno…” Raleigh commented referring to the unique shape.

“So this is it, huh? The big unveiling. Enough staring, we need to get our seats before someone else steals them,” Chuck added.

The three former rangers and Max entered the gate and found their seats, aimed toward the center of a large stage that had a podium and speakers. 

"M'old man says this thing works on water and something called 'fuel rods'. Sounds a bit hokey to me but he said it's the new wave of the future," Chuck commented as they waited. 

Not ten minutes later, the crowd was in an uproar by the announcement of the former Pan Pacific Defense Corps Marshal turned Australian Nuclear Sciences Public Relations Officer Hercules Hansen entering the stage.

Chuck beamed with pride as his father waved to the crowd and then brought them to silence. Herc went on to make several mentions of the past, talking about the invention of steam-power, the kaiju wars, and the jaegers. He then recounted for everyone the story told to him by the heroes who survived closing the breach. 

A memorial was held for all fallen rangers of the PPDC. Special mention was given to the former Marshall and to the Kaidanovskys for their critical contributions to the final battle. Smiling, Herc made the final announcement.

“I now proudly declare the official opening of the world’s first nuclear reactor power plant! The steam-power era is at an end. Nuclear power is the future!”


End file.
